Artist Residency Reviews

The people working at HIAP are wonderful. The living space is great, the studios are big and bright and in connection to the living apartment, depending on what you work with, the studio could be great, but for me as a sculptor it was dysfunctional with no ventilation. Unfortunately there was really no other space to work in either. No real workshop, and few tools. The location of the residency on an island in the archipelago of Helsinki is beautiful and inspiring, but of course also a bit challenging when it comes to getting material. My overall experience of my residency at HIAP is still great! The community created amongst the residents and HIAP crew was inspiring and developing for my work. HIAP are part of communal saunas, with sauna hours 4 times a week and the meetings happening in the saunas are truly special! I also want to give a huge credit to how great the residency is to welcome mothers and families. As a mother I had to bring my two year old and my husband, upon mentioning my family I got a PDF document on "good to know information for parents" with everything from things to do, how to get around and how to apply for child care (which we actually got on the island), and for my husband they were prepared to fix an extra studio, which we in the end felt we did not need. It was great to feel so supported as a family of artists! I would recommend anyone applying for HIAP and especially families.

The benefits of this residency are the freedom you are given to come and go as you please, the openness to ideas and questions when discussing your practice, and the continued support that the gallery offers after your time as a resident is finished. To get the most from this residency, I would say that it helps if you are self-driven and materially independent. Having lots of spare time to make the most of the studio space is always good, of course. A residency where you get 6-8 months' studio space for free, as well as a possible two exhibitions in the heart of Notting Hill for no external cost, I'd say, has an undoubtedly positive investment-to-reward ratio.

amazing spaces for free for a year.

I look back at my month at Latitude with such fondness, remembering nostalgic bus rides to a sun-filled, climate-controlled oasis. I was constantly invited to be in the space, experiment, and expand. The generous staff provided extensive expert knowledge on top of friendly kindness. I was able to shed feelings of reticence and intimidation when faced with the printing process and now feel empowered to integrate these techniques into my practice. As a media artist and sculptor, I was finally able to take digital renderings—otherwise bound behind a screen—into physical mediums. I experimented with different paper types, printing on textile, and image transfer, producing material that I have subsequently remixed into different shown work. Few residencies offer the level of care around access and accommodations as Latitude. As a disabled artist, I felt unburdened by the need to advocate for my needs while deeply cared for and considered. Anytime I visit Chicago, I plan to stop in and do some printing! Benefits included imparting new skills, community connections, opportunities for studio visits, and an ongoing professional relationship. The residency is generous with the free and low-cost printing resources and ink stipend so I left with a lot of high-quality printed material. The challenge is that housing is not provided, so I had to find a sublet, but this is relatively affordable and easy to find in Chicago. Practical advice would include having some files ready to print right away. Less time preparing files means more time printing and experimenting. Costs were greatly outweighed by the benefits: because the residency is an entire month and mostly autonomously structured, I was still able to work my remote job, making the visit more affordable. The amount of material I was able to print for free would have cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Benefits: The amount of space is very generous with most of the studios. The program is highly respected and the open studios event attracts an impressive number of attendees. Challenges: The studios are not air-conditioned and can get quite hot in the summer months. Some studios also do not have window coverings, so you may need to invest in blinds or some other way to block out the intense sunlight in the afternoons. DUMBO is a very noisy neighborhood, not only from the trains traveling over the bridge, but the constant construction happening on the streets below. The program also has a lot of rules, largely contingent on the property management's involvement and building policies. Practical Advice: Don't underestimate the emphasis placed on the open studios event, which is handled almost like an exhibition. You will be assigned to a few organizing committees to plan the event. This can feel like a lot to take on, but you can use it to connect with your fellow studio mates. Some artists may also have shows planned at the same time as the event, but I would recommend doing whatever you can to have your best work on view at open studios to take advantage of the exposure. Cost vs. Gains: The studio is free, so the only cost is the logistical effort involved (subletting current studio, moving from out of town). If your goal is to really connect to the NYC art community it is worth it. There is also no application fee, so it's easy to apply every year.

I was very fortunate to be awarded this residency with a cohort that was really lovely. This is a co-working residency in West London, so I would take that into account. The organisation is incredibly helpful. I did this residency during Covid times and they were very accommodating. I only have good things to say about this program.

The spaces provided are a dream, and the location is very special. Highly recommend for those with practices related to ecologies, territory/land, identity, biology, sustainability.

Great apartment, shared with other interesting co-residents, made contact with people I will for sure see again and stay in touch with. Studio facilities are amazing, and the walk between the studio and the apartment is really nice (both would require some adjustments for accessibility for people with limited mobility). Equipment, spaces, staff: all was amazing. Very productive and insightful residency.

Great feedback and supervision by very skilled and engaged peeps at SAL, less inspirational surrounding community that mostly seemed detached from what’s happening at SAL.

Benefits: the residency program provides an excellent opportunity to be connected with the natural environment around the house. We can be free to walk, draw and paint directly in a wonderful landscape. The mentors provide their help and opinions, but let the artists free to create whatever we are into. The spaces we have to read and draw aren't so comfortable. During the day it's good, but when there's no sunlight, the artificial illumination is not enough. The tables and chairs could be more adequate too. But in the end, the full experience is so overwhelming, that it worths the pity to have some backache.

The residency was very rewarding. Their framework is to provide an environment for research and engagement with the location and community. Their proposal does not encompass studios and equipment, materials or funds for creating artwork on site. This residency is perfect for artists interested in the relation of their research and the environment, history, community, etcetera. It's a unique place and experience. The artists who created Mirante Xique-Xique help every artist integrate each individual research to their own conception of the residency in a very organic way.

Super interesting place with very nice people! Sound Art Lab in Struer has a lot to offer when it comes to workshops and knowledge. Nice accommodation too.

The residency is really good if you require solitude and are pretty self-driven. The resources available in terms of recording equipment and studios are plentiful and really helpful. The living quarters are lovely. The township of Struer is quiet and quaint and takes some getting used to, but there is a nice park walk not too far from accommodation. There was helpful financial support. Communication needs a bit more work. The collaboration offered with Bang & Olufsen, though it took a lot of negotiation on the presenter's part, ended up being really wonderful and we made good connections with staff.

Denis and Leo are amazing. The food, nature, peace, and colors—everything was beautiful.

It’s hard to rate the MXX residency program based on a scale, because when immersed in Igatu life just happens and the boundaries between living and producing kind of make no sense. Living in Igatu for the residency allows us to think about the role of art in our lives and experience other ways of existence. Igatu is a place where all boundaries get mixed up, and that’s the beauty of it. Although it’s not easy to get to MXX (airplane, bus and taxi, in my case), it’s worth the effort. The Chapada Diamantina and its surroundings are gorgeous, both in terms of culture and nature.

I had an amazing experience there; the nature is unique and inspiring. The coordinators were very helpful, and the network of local people and exchange of local knowledge was really special.

Many activists like dance, yoga, massage, poetry, cooking… all these experiences make us in one incredible environment of creativity.

Benefits: cultural heritage, nature environment and all relationship with the community of Igatu - one special little city in Chapada Diamantina.

The residence is placed in a wonderful and inspiring landscape in Brazilian inland, but it is isolated and far from any big town. The accommodation and working spaces are not amazing, maybe lacking the sophistication you would find in the big cities, but the hosts were more than happy to provide anything at their hands to make things easier. The spirit of intense collaboration and creative freedom is something I will always remember from this period. I have developed many works and projects but not many significant contacts in the art world context apart from my colleges from residence and the hosts.

It should be mandatory as an artist to live and work in this quiet rural setting. I strongly recommend this magical and homelike place, where you live side by side with other artists and the locals.